This morning when I was leaving home for Brightwood Park, I was happy to see two bird friends greeting me from a tree. Likely because of the sub-freezing temperature, we all wrapped ourselves in down jackets.
In the park, a red-bellied male woodpecker was working hard to build a new home. A female bird came occasionally to pat her mate's shoulder as he worked. Near the two ponds, the root of a fallen tree appeared like a statue of a brown bear, stretching its two arms and dancing under the morning sun. The geese seemed to be using the pond as their dining table. The female occasionally dove into the kitchen to check if breakfast was ready. A squirrel was enjoying a time of meditation, in no hurry of rushing to eat or work. This morning when I was leaving home for Brightwood Park, I was happy to see two bird friends greeting me from a tree. Likely because of the sub-freezing temperature, we all wrapped ourselves in down jackets. In the park, a red-bellied male woodpecker was working hard to build a new home. A female bird (identified by being less colorful) came occasionally to pat on the shoulder of the male. Near the two ponds, the root of a fallen tree appeared like a statue of a brown bear, stretching its two arms and dancing under the morning sun. The geese seemed to be using the pond as their dining table. The female one occasionally dived into the kitchen to check if breakfast was ready. A squirrel was enjoying a time of meditation, in no hurry of rushing to eat or work. This morning when I was leaving home for Brightwood Park, I was happy to see two bird friends greeting me from a tree. Likely because of the sub-freezing temperature, we all wrapped ourselves in down jackets. In the park, a red-bellied male woodpecker was working hard to build a new home. A female bird (identified by being less colorful) came occasionally to pat on the shoulder of the male. Near the two ponds, the root of a fallen tree appeared like a statue of a brown bear, stretching its two arms and dancing under the morning sun. The geese seemed to be using the pond as their dining table. The female one occasionally dived into the kitchen to check if breakfast was ready. A squirrel was enjoying a time of meditation, in no hurry of rushing to eat or work. This morning when I was leaving home for Brightwood Park, I was happy to see two bird friends greeting me from a tree. Likely because of the sub-freezing temperature, we all wrapped ourselves in down jackets. In the park, a red-bellied male woodpecker was working hard to build a new home. A female bird (identified by being less colorful) came occasionally to pat on the shoulder of the male. Near the two ponds, the root of a fallen tree appeared like a statue of a brown bear, stretching its two arms and dancing under the morning sun. The geese seemed to be using the pond as their dining table. The female one occasionally dived into the kitchen to check if breakfast was ready. A squirrel was enjoying a time of meditation, in no hurry of rushing to eat or work. This morning when I was leaving home for Brightwood Park, I was happy to see two bird friends greeting me from a tree. Likely because of the sub-freezing temperature, we all wrapped ourselves in down jackets. In the park, a red-bellied male woodpecker was working hard to build a new home. A female bird (identified by being less colorful) came occasionally to pat on the shoulder of the male. Near the two ponds, the root of a fallen tree appeared like a statue of a brown bear, stretching its two arms and dancing under the morning sun. The geese seemed to be using the pond as their dining table. The female one occasionally dived into the kitchen to check if breakfast was ready. A squirrel was enjoying a time of meditation, in no hurry of rushing to eat or work. After a rainy day and hearing the chilly wind roaring last night, I was curious what the park would be like, and decided to check it out shortly after 7 a.m.
The Prospect Street entrance was covered with a layer of ice. On the trail most of the accumulated water was gone and the surface looked surprisingly dry up untill the junction of the two ponds. The small pond was frozen, and the ice formed patterns near the shore. The large pond was not frozen but ice crystals could be seen on the ground near the shore. After passing the dam I took a walk toward the two-bridge trail. Here multiple areas were covered with a thin layer of ice. Spiky ice crystals could be seen in several places. The patterns of these ice crystals are relatively new to me. Growing up as a fan of war movies, to me these looked like an ammunition depot from ancient time. Instead of drying out, the wood-ear mushrooms were frozen and preserved reasonably well. Compared to yesterday, the helmet-shaped one changed its camouflage, reminding me of a contrast between those used in the North Africa battlefield and those used in the Battle of the Bulge. With some creativity and imagination, the shapes of the mushrooms can appear as faces of humans and animals, and even with facial expressions. While I was examining the mushrooms, I saw fresh animal tracks on the trail along the fence on the west border of the park. As there were no human footprints accompanying, I suspect a coyote left his or her signature shortly before I arrived. The large pond here is like a motel to Canada geese. Everyday there are tens of geese checking in and the next morning they continue their journey to the south. The surface of the pond was covered with white feathers after the geese all took off. I wonder if they are putting on new dress while they are traveling.
What was interesting this morning was two geese decided to drop out from their squadron. They seemed to want to make a home together. As I watched their intimate conversations and their wedding rituals, I sent them my best wishes for both their marriage. The large pond here is like a motel to Canada geese. Everyday there are tens of geese checking in and the next morning they continue their journey to the south. The surface of the pond was covered with white feathers after the geese all took off. I wonder if they are putting on new dress while they are traveling. What was interesting this morning was two geese decided to drop out from their squadron. They seemed wanting to make a home on the central island, and produce children here. As I watched their intimate conversations and their wedding rituals, I sent them my best wishes for both their marriage and their family building. The large pond here is like a motel to Canada geese. Everyday there are tens of geese checking in and the next morning they continue their journey to the south. The surface of the pond was covered with white feathers after the geese all took off. I wonder if they are putting on new dress while they are traveling. What was interesting this morning was two geese decided to drop out from their squadron. They seemed wanting to make a home on the central island, and produce children here. As I watched their intimate conversations and their wedding rituals, I sent them my best wishes for both their marriage and their family building.
The morning outdoor temperature was -16 degrees Farhenheit. When I left home for the park, watching the ice on my car window glass, with the rising sun in the background, the music of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" came across and together lightened my day. The large pond was almost completely frozen. Small animals took this opportunity to walk on the ice and march toward the central island for a special exploration. It was tempting for me but I was immediately reminded of the scene of being spanked some 60 years ago by my dad.😭 The 10th photo was taken on the bridge of the dam. The tree in the front looked like a person stretching in the bed upon waking up by the sun. In the last photo I wonder if you see a cute face on the right side in the ice. This morning in Brightwood Park I found a squirrel making a new home inside a broken tree with front and back entrances. The fellow probably just finished shopping to get prepared for the stormy weather this afternoon and tomorrow. The owner greeted me and appeared to be quite proud of the home. I did not ask for a house tour considering the size of the place. Included is a photo of a tree on the shore of the small pond, with mushrooms forming a ladder-like pattern on it. I guess mushrooms have the professional sense to build a community with houses evenly spaced out. A male cardinal was trying to impress a female by playing funny. While unsuccessful in attracting the female, the fellow won my applause instead. Seeing me taking pictures of the cardinals, a white-throated sparrow came by and posed for picture taking. It has been a while since the last time I shared with you what I saw at Brightwood Park. I want to thank you for your concerns about where I was and why I disappeared. I was away for the entire month of November, with 4 days in San Diego for a conference on Immunotherapy of cancer and the rest of the month in Taiwan. I missed you, other neighbors and friends, and of course, Brightwood Park. The park was entering full-blown foliage when I left and all the leaves were on the ground by the time I came back. It took a while for me to go over the photos I took in late October and early December, and pick the ones for sharing. Here are some of the transition from fall to winter. We had a mild Fall this year and the foliage took place in slow motion. I was a little upset to miss the best part of it. On October 20 I tried to record a few colorful scenes. If you have better photos, I would love to see them. Being away for a month, I saw a dramatic change of colors in the park. After coming back, the only colorful objects I could find were the fruit of oriental bittersweet plants. I took a photo of the winter moon and was curious whether the black spot was from a flying bird or a bug. Here is what I recorded on August 30, a day I had a lot of fun discovering and watching unusual objects in Brightwood Park and Prospect Street in the daytime, and in Mindowaskin Park and downtown in the evening.
Around noon in Brightwood Park, a female downy woodpecker was teaching her children how to hunt for food on a tree. The mother was very talkative and noisy. The little ones were too small and in constant motion to be captured on camera. A female wood duck had a turtle admirer following her while she was posing for a photo session. However, she was unable to impress a young male duck who kept shaking his head. A few other amphibians were enjoying a sun bath while I was having my forest bath.. Rain drops from last night were preserved in spiderwebs by the large pond. They were glowing like stars in the night sky. On the fence of the Demonstration Garden, a handsome spider with long legs built a tent-like web. The talented hunter was able to capture several prey and wrap them up, like making sausages. It is the flowering season for the common mullein plant. Although flower buds were all over the stalk, few of them turned into flowers. An orange-colored, moss-like tiny plant kept appearing at the exit of the two-bridge trail near the Fanwood entrance of the park. This year it migrated down the slope, about a foot from where it used to be. A couple of earthworms were dancing. The scene reminded me of "the cat's away the mice will play". Indeed this is a day major predators like robins seemed to be on vacation somewhere away from the park. |
Chuan-Chu ChouI am a frequent visitor of Brightwood Park and enjoy sharing my discoveries. Archives
March 2024
ducks
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LocationBrightwood Park is on the North end of Prospect Street. Go past Franklin School and look for the entrance on the left.
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